3 products I rely on to help me pack and stay organized while I travel

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Traveling is awesome. Packing, on the other hand, is not so fun.
I’m not a neat person, so packing has always been a struggle for me.
After traveling a lot in the last year, I finally landed on a few products that help me pack efficiently and stay organized throughout my trip.
A good suitcase, packing cubes, and a travel dopp kit are three simple essentials that help me pack efficiently and stay organized while traveling.

When it comes to organization, I’m a work in progress. Anyone who knows me would probably balk at the idea of me writing this article. But, that is the exact reason why I’m writing it. When you’re not naturally neat, you have to rely on tools and tricks to stay organized. And there are a lot of tools and tricks out there — I’ve tried my fair share.

There’s one particular area of organizing that I always dread: packing. Not only do you have to fit everything you need for a given amount of time into the confines of your suitcase, but you have to anticipate what extras you might need during your travels. Nice clothing can get wrinkled (at best) or ruined (at worst) from hours stuffed in a bag.

But, if you love to travel, you have to tolerate packing. It won’t be the most fun part of your adventure, but if you have the right tools, the process can be a little easier.

Over the years, I’ve discovered a few game-changing products that actually make packing a little easier. These products streamline the packing process and ultimately keep my things in order, whether I’m taking a weekend away or going on a two-month backpacking trip.

Here are three products to help pack your suitcase and stay organized while you travel:

Start with a great suitcase

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Before you can begin packing, you need a suitcase. These days there are so many luggage companies to shop at and each one has a huge variety of bags to offer. No one suitcase is right for everyone, so consider what factors are most important to you — like the duration of your trip, what kind of items you’re packing, how frequently you travel, and your budget.

If you want a suitcase that can help you stay organized, go for one that has multiple compartments to store different types of items. For example, the Away Carry-On has two compartments: one that’s designed to hold your clothes and the other that’s made to fit shoes, toiletries, and other hard objects.

I also like the Roam Jaunt XL, because it’s a simple carry-on suitcase that you can customize down to just about every detail.

Of course, picking a suitcase is a matter of preference, so check out our guides to help you find the luggage that’s right for you:

Pack your clothing in packing cubes

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To maximize your packing space and stay organized on the go, you need packing cubes. I can’t believe I used to travel without them. They’re such a simple product, but they making packing so much easier.

I love these expandable packing cubes from REI for a few reasons. There are three sizes, all of which can be expanded to hold even more with the side zipper. Each cube has a top handle so it can easily be picked up and moved around. The see-through mesh pocket on top holds a card where you can list the contents of each pack, so you know what’s inside before you even open it.

The nylon material is lightweight, but durable, and most importantly water repellent — so your clothes will be protected from any unwanted toiletry explosions.

These packing cubes will not only keep everything neat and easy to find in your bag, but they help keep everything compact, which ultimately gives you more space. To get the most out of each cube, I’ve found that rolling rather than folding your clothing is the best method. Roll each piece tightly, and you’ll likely have room for more clothing than each cube suggests.

If you don’t have a set of packing cubes yet, here are some of our favorite options:

Pack toiletries and other small essentials in a versatile dopp kit

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All of your clothing is rolled up, placed in packing cubes, and ready to go. Now, it’s toiletry time.

I honestly find packing toiletries to be even more of a nuisance than packing clothing. Toiletries are heavy, bulky, and the irregular shapes can make them hard to pack. You can pack a few pouches worth of toiletries and scatter them throughout your luggage, but I find that one big dopp kit works best.

There are many options out there, but I prefer something like this compact Reisenthel organizer. It isn’t the coolest-looking option around, but it’s affordable, waterproof, and can fit a whole bathroom counter’s worth of products inside. It has compartments made to fit specific toiletry bottle sizes, like body wash, toothpaste, and razors.

The dopp kit can be packed and zipped into a compact bag, but it also includes a small hanger that makes it easy to hang up so you can see all of your products when you get to your destination. For just $11, this is a very useful, not to mention budget-friendly, way to keep your toiletries organized.

If you’d like something a little more stylish, or just want to see a wider array of options, you can find our favorite toiletry bag options below:

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